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Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 29, 2014 in Animation, Cinema, Videogames 
I guess Sucker Punch saw that Insomniac’s fellow PS2-era platformer Ratchet & Clank was getting a movie and wanted in, because now we have a Sly Cooper movie scheduled for theaters in 2016. Hell, it’s even being made by Blockade Entertainment and Rainmaker Entertainment, who are also making the Ratchet & Clank movie. My gut reaction at first was that Sly looked weird and had too much detail in his fur, but after seeing it in action, I have to admit he looks pretty cool. The whole trailer feels like the video game it’s sourced from, and that’s great. Plus, I have to love when a series like this opens with a Reservoir Dogs reference. My only question now is if Naughty Dog will get a Jak and Daxter movie made to complete the PS2 platforming trilogy. Read more…
Tags: Sly Cooper
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 22, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
If you really loved Disney’s latest animated movie Frozen, you may want to consider visiting Quebec City. Disney has worked with Hôtel de Glace to create a hotel suite fashioned out of ice and snow. Frozen art director Michael Giaimo supervised the design to make sure it looked similar to the movie’s aesthetic. There’s also a “Frozen Activity Cave,” which isn’t explained, so it could be anything, but I’d guess it’s where you’d toss the kids if you and your partner wanted some alone time on that frozen bed. I’ve always appreciated ice sculptures, but I think sleeping in one might be a bit too much for me, so I’m happy to just look at these photos. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Frozen
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2014 in Animation 
TV Guide premiered the first trailer for DC’s next animated movie, Son of Batman. This is an adaptation of the 2006 storyline Batman & Son, in which Bruce Wayne learns that he has a son from the boy’s mother, Talia al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins. Bruce raises him, and soon young Damian is going out with Batman as Robin, though he certainly acts like someone who was raised by the League of Assassins. The animation looks good enough, though Damian seems a bit whinier and less aggressive than he is in the comics. Take a look and see what you think! Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
When I was younger, I really wanted a lot of live-action versions of things I had seen animated. How cool would things like Dragonball Z and Evangelion be with real people? (Turns out not so well.) Now that I’m older, I’m perfectly content with these things to stay the way they are, because good animation can do things live-action can’t and should be respected as its own art form, not just something to distract kids. But Disney seems committed to redoing its most famous animated movies in live-action. Alice in Wonderland came out in 2010, Cinderella will be out in 2015, but this year is Maleficent, the Sleeping Beauty reimagining that focuses on its main villain of the same name. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Sleeping Beauty
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 17, 2014 in Animation, Anime 
Many folks wondered if Hayao Miyazaki’s film film, The Wind Rises, would get nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. Well, the noms came out and surprise, surprise, it’s on the list. It’s in the company of The Croods, Frozen, Ernest and Celestine, and Despicable Me 2. This is also the first time in a long, long while that Pixar has not had a film nominated for the category. I’m honestly a bit surprised that Monsters University didn’t beat out, say, The Croods. Also interesting, is that Shuhei Morita’s Possessions short animated film got nominated as well (it was part of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Short Peace collection). Read more…
Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, The Oscars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2014 in Animation, Anime 
You know, a lot of people pick on The Simpsons nowadays, but when they put their heads together and do a tribute in reference to something, they really do it well. The latest tribute features Homer getting drunk in Little Tokyo and then everything goes as little crazy, Miyazaki-style. Cat-bus, the moving castle, Kiki, and of course, Spirited Away, are all there. I think I saw a few smaller references as well, so watch the video below and see if you can catch them all. It’s a pretty lengthy sequence to devote to one gag. Read more…
Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, The Simpsons
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 24, 2013 in Animation 
Craig McCracken’s The Powerpuff Girls was one of Cartoon Network’s best series. Beneath the pink-colored veneer was a wonderful action series with strong scripts and smart jokes. Cartoon Network is reviving the characters for a new special to be aired on Monday, January 20, 2014 at 7:30PM. Unfortunately, going by this new trailer, the whole thing is animated with unattractive CG, trying to give it a flat look. It’s also lacking vibrancy, like some of the color has been sucked out in the interest of making the world look more realistic. It could still be good, but it’s a shame that so many people seem to have practically abandoned 2D animation in favor of trying to do the same thing with CG. Read more…
Tags: Cartoon Network, Powerpuff Girls
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 16, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Frozen just came out, and Disney’s next animated film is Big Hero 6 in November 2014. But what everyone really wants to know is what’s planned for 2018? For those who are interested, Disney has announced what the movie is going to be: Moana. Disney is returning to the Pacific area they last explored in Lilo & Stich, though this time they’re venturing away from Hawaii and straight to Polynesia. But what will the film be about? Read more…
Tags: Disney
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 28, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Everyone knows Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s story of a boy who was raised by apes. As usual, Hollywood is running out of things to remake and reboot, so Constantin Films is dipping even further back for another Tarzan movie. It’s a CGI motion-capture animated film, and god do the faces look creepy. But more importantly is the new subplot of why modern man is going into the jungle and meeting Tarzan. Instead of hunting for gorillas, they’re hunting for a mysterious power source left behind by aliens many years ago. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also see Tarzan fighting some sort of tentacle monster in the film. Read more…
Tags: Aliens, Tarzan
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 14, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Do you remember when Michael Jordan teamed up with Bugs Bunny to play basketball against aliens? I prefer to think of Space Jam as a historical drama, because why not. Someone else out there apparently thinks so too, because they made this great video, 30 for 30: The Space Jam Game, mimicking the popular ESPN documentary series 30 for 30. They even got some major guests to give commentary! Check it out below, and if you want more, try this page of Space Jam mash-ups (“slams”), or even the original website, somehow still online! Read more…
Tags: Looney Tunes, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 29, 2013 in Animation, Comic Books 
It looks like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox really was a way for DC to reboot their animated universe, which has lately been a way for them to just animate movies of whatever storylines they want without much care for overall continuity or consistency. But just like Flashpoint led into The New 52 in the comics, it’s leading into a new origin story for the Justice League in Justice League: War, their next animated movie due out sometime in 2014. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Justice League, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 16, 2013 in Animation, Comic Books 
Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) and Bruce Timm (Superman: The Animated Series) teamed up to create this fantastic short highlighting how Superman has changed and also stayed the same throughout the past 75 years. Watch as Superman jumps off the pages of his debut comic and journeys through various eras: the Fleischer Studios cartoons, The Adventures of Superman (George Reeves), the Super Family, the Super Friends, his motion picture debut (Christopher Reeve), the Death of Superman, Superman: The Animated Series, Smallville, the New 52, and eventually Man of Steel, with even more events and references thrown in along the way. The best part is the way the art style shifts to reflect how Superman was portrayed at that time, not just in terms of costume or face design, but art styles too; the Fleischer cartoon style looks totally different from Bruce Timm’s animated series. Check it out, read this list of annotations, and then watch it again! Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Superman, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 12, 2013 in Animation, Television 
Maybe this is an untapped market, or perhaps it’s just a way to lure parents into getting their kids to watch Nick Jr. A Game of Thrones-inspired commercial was made for the Nick Jr. show Ben & Holly, which features the iconic opening of the dark fantasy series set against the colorful world of a kid’s show. I don’t think kids will be getting the reference here (oh god, I hope they don’t get the reference here), mainly because a show filled with violence, sex, incest, and war typically doesn’t cross over with Nick Jr.’s crowd. Still, it’s a nice little nod to parents and I bet the show’s creators had fun making the ad as well. Watch the video below! Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones, nickelodeon
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 7, 2013 in Animation 
A new Toy Story short is premiering soon, and it’s Halloween-themed, too! Toy Story of TERROR! (yes, all caps) will be showing on ABC on October 16th, 8pm EST, 7 central. If you’re a Toy Story fan this definitely looks to be a fun little diversion, bringing along several characters from the third film and apparently a new toy. I know some fans would rather just have another Toy Story film, but I actually prefer this. The trilogy is over, let it be. If you really want to continue things, these shorts are an easy and enjoyable way of seeing the toys again. Check out the clip below. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Toy Story
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2013 in Animation 
Yup, you read right! Guillermo Del Toro directed the opening couch gag for Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror XXIV. It’s definitely a bit more than just a couch gag, featuring just about every movie monster ever and several references to Del Toro’s own filmography. Yes, there is a Pacific Rim nod. Yes, there is a Pan’s Labyrinth nod. And yes, there is a clever joke about the older, traditional animation of classic Simpsons episodes. It’s kind of awesome how cool the crew at FOX are with making direct fun of the decline of Simpsons. You might remember the Banksy opening also did plenty of that, too. But enough talk! Check out the video below! Read more…
Tags: guillermo del toro, The Simpsons
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 30, 2013 in Animation 
Every once in a while a music video comes out that actually does something cool. I also have a soft spot for animated music videos, so C2C‘s latest music video for their song “Delta” is right up my alley. It’s got a great visual style that reminds me of the art of Genndy Tartakovsky mixed with a more orange sci-fi tint. If only more bands would do this! I’m still hoping for someone else to do their own Interstella 5555 for a new age. But for now, this is a wonderful piece. It also is one giant metaphor. See if you can figure it out — it’s pretty clear. Great job CRCR! Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: music videos
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 28, 2013 in Animation 
If you love Terry Gilliam this vintage video is a must watch: Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 26, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
I love seeing the tricks and effort that go into “movie magic.” Concept art, early animatics, CG tricks, anything that shows how they create the amazing stuff you see on screen. That’s why I was super interested to see on The Awesomer a link to an early animatic for The Avengers, focusing on Iron Man’s introduction. It’s way more exciting and interesting than the one we got, but I can understand why it was ditched: why do we need to be introduced to a villain right away that we’ll never see again? Still, if you’re like me and love seeing this behind-the-scenes work, check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Iron Man, The Avengers
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 15, 2013 in Animation, Videogames 
“Fantasia” is a name that evokes a lot of musical history and artistry. While some may argue (myself included) about the song selection in Harmonix’s Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved, it seems that the music-oriented studio is still trying to stay true to Walt Disney’s original concept of marrying music with fantastic imagery. This latest look helps contextualize what Harmonix is doing in the broader scope of the somewhat-ongoing Fantasia project. In the meantime, it has also been announced that composer Inon Zur is contributing original music for the game. Zur has done music for games like Dragon Age and Prince of Persia, so he’s a solid vet to have involved. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Music, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 14, 2013 in Animation, Videogames 
Okay, considering how much actual animation there is, “animated” might be a bit strong. But this fan video from Dave Rapoza takes the SNES classic Super Metroid and puts it into a lightly-animated vignette. There’s some interesting grit to the drawings — actual grit, not the modern “dark = gritty” use of the word — that reminds me of Magical Game Time, while the direction suggests an alternate timeline where Samurai Jack‘s Genndy Tartakovsky helmed a Super Metroid cartoon in the mid-90s with his signature style. Rapoza says the drawings were all done in Photoshop and assembled in an editor, which explains the minimal animation. But take a look, and appreciate the great sense of atmosphere! Read more…
Tags: fan videos, Metroid, Nintendo
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 10, 2013 in Animation 
YouTube’s Geek Week is going on right now, and while much of it is silly “crazy geek stuff” there’s some interesting stuff too. Cartoon Network has uploaded a video of the intro of Adventure Time — remade with LEGO bricks. Granted, everything under the sun has to be done with LEGOs at one point or another (I’m pretty sure it’s a law of the internet at this point), but this has some creative use of perspective to created the effect of the original opening. No where in the video description is who made this for them though – unless they chained Cartoon Network interns up in their basement and forced them to do it. Read more…
Tags: Adventure Time, Cartoon Network, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 4, 2013 in Animation, Fandom 
I’m gonna bet Pixar playing cards already exist. But you know what? They’re probably nowhere near as classy as these, by Chris Anderson. He has put together a very nice looking set of retro-style, 3 color playing cards focusing on Pixar’s various films. Emblazoned with the Pixar lamp on the front and the Toy Story ball on the back, these would be a fitting coffee table item in anyone’s home. I really love his renditions Remy and Woody – and they all fit together in a nice wooden carrying case. Pixar? Contact Chris and make these real. I’d buy these in a heartbeat. Check out more images below the jump and on his website! Read more…
Tags: Pixar, playing cards
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 25, 2013 in Animation, Anime, Cinema 
Okay, so Japan’s CG isn’t quite on Hollywood’s level. But this trailer for Space Pirate Captain Harlock looks pretty awesome, possibly because of its $30 million budget, the highest ever for Toei Animation. I’ve never seen the original anime of the same name, but I have always loved the look of the titular character (designed by Leiji Matsumoto). So for me, this trailer hits all the important bits — namely, Harlock looking bad-ass and piloting his giant, bad-ass ship the Arcadia. The movie opens in Japan on September 7, and while a US release hasn’t been announced, GFM Films (located in London) is working on a dub. Read more…
Tags: Captain Harlock
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 23, 2013 in Animation, Anime, Cinema 
Though Ghibli has put out two films in the past few years, but while both were written by Hayao Miyazaki, neither were directed by him. His first film since 2008’s Ponyo is Kaze Tachinu, or The Wind Rises. It’s based on a manga that Miyazaki made in 2009, which is loosely based on Tatsuo Hori’s short ’30s novel The Wind Has Risen. It tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, the man designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero plane, one of the top fighters in World War II. But from watching this four-minute trailer, the movie seems to prioritize the joy of flight over pro-war statements. Read more…
Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli
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